The relationship between philately and the Olympic Movement is explored. Host countries issue many commemorative stamps to help finance the Games, and participating countries and even non-participating countries commemorate the Games with their own stamps. In this way the ideals of the Olympic movement are conveyed through philately, namely the promotion of understanding among peoples of the world.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

The olympic games were always in the center of interest both in the ancient world as well as in the modern one. It is assumed that the date of the first olympic games is the year 776 B.C.. Since then there are scientifically documented records of the winners of respective competitions. We have also evidences that all the life of the man of those days was saturated with the spirit of sport. The antique games survived 12 centuries. They have been cancelled by emperor Teodozjusz the Great in year 393 A.D. And so it was up to 1896 when the idea of the games revived and the first modern olympic games have been organized in Athens. Since this time ensues in a form adapted to modern conditions their splendid revival. It is noticed by the post administrations. Stamps having sport as a subject enjoy a great interest of the philatelists, who the greatest esteem have for olympic stamps.The first Polish olympic stamps have been issued on the occasion of the XVI games in Melbourne. Among them comes one of the most expensive and most in request Polish stamps so called "inversion" of boxing. We have also olympic stamps honoured for they beauty by international bodies. During the 115 session of IOC Polish Post received the award "Prix Olympia Gold Medal" for a stamp commemorating the games in Salt Lake City. Since 1956 Polish Post has issued almost 140 olympic stamps.The return of the games to Athens rouses many associations of ideas and thoughts. Have them also the designer of the presented stamps building his conception as an artistic bracket biding together the ancient and the present. Judge yourself what result it gave.On the day of introductions of the stamps into post circulation will be in sale an FDC with special cancellation in use at the Post Office Warszawa 1

World Championships in Athletics - Helsinki 2005:The major attraction of the summer sport season in 2005 was World Championships in athletics. The wrestling was be held from 6th to 14th August in a capital of Finland, in Helsinki. The capital of Finland was become already for the second time the host of the event. The first world athletics championship also took place in Helsinki in 1983 and was the one of the most successful for the Polish athletes. Two gold medals were won at that time by Z. Hoffman performing in triple jump and E. Sarul in shot put. The runner-up became B. Maminski in 3-kilometre obstacle race with, and the bronze medal was won by Z. Kwasny in the hammer. The Polish Mail taking into consideration the significance of August Event, is meeting its clients’ likings and needs. This is among the philatelist new releases issues the occasional edition of post stamps named “The World Championship in Athletics in Helsinki 2005”. The edition presents four colour post stamps showing four favourite athletic disciplines, in which 22 years ago the Polish sport team achieved the undisputed success. On the day of the introduction of the stamps into circulation, there will be available for sale FDC envelopes, cancelled with a special issue stamp, used in Post Office Warszawa 1.

10-26 February is the period of the winter olympic games in Turin. On this occasion, particularly due to the numerous participation of Poles in the games, Polish Post has prepared a special stamp. The dynamic, graphically modern post stamp presents a colourful group of sportsmen, and on the tablet included has been the text of the Olympic oath of Polish sportsmen. The picturesque panorama of the mountains and a fragment of the view on Turin constitute the background for both parts.The first winter olympic games were held in 1924 and are organized every four years. Italy is for the second time hosting the games (in 1956 the winter games took place in Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomites). Turin is the capital of Piemont, a city of multi-age, rich history, located at the foot of the Alps. It is mostly famous for the place of the storage of the Turin Shroud and the seat of the FIAT automotive company, as well as the famous football team Juventus.At the Turin Olympic Games our representation will be competing in the following sports disciplines: biathlon, bobsleighs, figure skating and fast skating, Alpine and race skiing, sledging, skeleton, short-track, ski-jumping and snowboard.The First Day of Circulation Envelope Was cancelled with a commemorative stamp used in Post Office Warsaw 1.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Football Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by European nations. The tournament, which was hosted by Austria and Switzerland, began on 7 June 2008, and concluded with the final at Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna on 29 June 2008. The second jointly-hosted edition in the competition's history, the tournament was eventually won by Spain, defeating Germany 1–0 in the final; becoming only the second nation to win all their group stage fixtures and win the European Championship itself—a milestone also achieved by France in 1984. Spain were also the first team since Germany in 1996 to win the tournament undefeated.

The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. West Germany had been chosen in July 1966 as hosts by FIFA. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded. The previous trophy, the Jules Rimet Trophy, was won for the third time by Brazil in 1970 and awarded permanently to the Brazilians. The host nation won the title beating the Netherlands in the final, 2-1. The victory was the second for West Germany, who had won in 1954.

History :The 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck were threatened by a lack of snow. The Austrian army rushed to the rescue, carving out 20,000 ice bricks from a mountain top and transporting them to the bobsled and luge runs. They also carried 40,000 cubic meters of snow to the Alpine skiing courses. When rain caused further havoc ten days before the Opening Ceremony, the army packed down the slopes by hand and foot. Lydia Skoblikova won all four women’s speed skating events to become the first athlete to win four gold medals in one Winter Olympics. Klavdiya Boyarskikh earned three gold medals in cross-country skiing and, on the men’s side, Eero Mäntyranta won two. Sisters Christine and Marielle Goitschel finished first and second in both the slalom and the giant slalom. Ski jumping gained a second event, and the sport of luge made its Olympic debut. 36 NOCs (Nations) 1,091 athletes (199 women, 892 men) 34 events

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

History :The 1992 Albertville Olympic Games were the last Winter Games to be staged in the same year as the Summer Games. Only 18 of the 57 events were held in Albertville itself, while nearby resorts hosted the rest. Freestyle skiing and short-track speed skating made their debuts as medal disciplines, as did women’s biathlon. Norwegian skiers won every cross country skiing race, as Björn Daehlie and Vegard Ulvang each won three gold medals. Speedskater Bonnie Blair won the 500m and 1,000m events, while Gunda Niemann took both of the longest races. At age 16, ski jumper Toni Nieminen became the youngest male winner of a Winter event. Alpine skier Petra Kronberger won both the combined event and the slalom. Ki-hoon Kim earned gold medals in both short track events.64 NOCs (Nations)1,801 athletes (488 women, 1,313 men)57 events8,647 volunteers5,894 media (2,271 written press, 3,623 broadcasters)

Monday, February 16, 2009

Today I have received this beautiful Souvenir sheet from France. This is my favorite Olympic Stamp Sheet ever. I am very happy to have these valuable stamps in my collection.Thanks you very much, Eric :)

Poland has issued an impressive portfolio of stamps to celebrate the 2008 Olympics.The colorful stamps present 4 out of the 28 Olympic disciplines: swimming, volleyball, the pole vault and fencing.The stamps are placed together in a block on the background of a traditional Chinese wood carving and the word "Beijing" written in its original form.The design of the First Day Cover includes the same illustration, added with a photograph of the new Beijing stadium called the "Bird's Nest".